University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

This wonderful, witty, popular account of what we know of the world, and how we know it, is an inspiration to me and to anyone ever faced with the task of making one's work accessible to general audiences. Bryson peppers his text with fantastic anecdotes that humanize scientific inquiry. He chooses to address a wide range of scientific scholarship, across many disciplines, some fairly arcane, and yet his writing remains clear, precise, and always fun. There truly is something in this book for everyone. All of us engaged in the pursuit of new knowledge can only benefit from this amazing example of cutting across the noise, focusing on the essentials, while engaging one's audience with humor and without compromising the quality of the information. A veritable tour de force in science communication!